Pick-up Match

JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies U-15 4-0 (2-0, 2-0) ANGEVIOLET BINGO

On Monday 23 July, eight matches took place in the second round of the JFA 23rd U-15 Japan Women's Football Championship where JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies U-15 (Kanto7/Chiba) and ANGEVIOLET BINGO (Chugoku1/Hiroshima) squared off. The match saw Chiba taking control of the match as Coach INOUE Takuya told his team, “We looked a bit nervous in yesterday’s match and we couldn’t play up to our potential, so in today’s match, let’s showcase what we are capable of.” The players responded to their coach’s pep-talk as they utilised the flanks effectively to create chances. In the 12th minute YAMASAKI Ayano broke through the left flank before sending a cross towards the centre, where KOBAYASHI Aika ran in to connect with a direct shot to score the opening goal.

The Chiba side gained momentum from this goal, as the hotline between Yamasaki and Kobayashi once again created a goal scoring opportunity in the 27th minute. Yamasaki controlled a long feed delivered from the defence line and sent a through ball into the penalty area. Kobayashi ran into the space to convert this opportunity to extend their lead to two goals just before halftime.

Chiba continued to take the initiative in the second half. In the 31st minute, ENDO Mao who just entered the match dribbled up the field and scored the team’s third goal. The team went onto utilise their substitutes to contain their opponents. Although BINGO’s late substitute, HAYAMA Miku created opportunities from her dribbles, Chiba stayed focused to keep their opponents with zero shots. In additional time, ARIKAWA Yura sealed the deal with the team’s fourth goal, finishing the match on the high note ahead of the quarterfinals.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

INOUE Takuya, Coach (JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies U-15)
We managed to utilise the players in the flanks who has great speed. However, there were players who weren’t able to showcase their potential. The timing seemed to be off with the players who usually plays for the youth team, so we must make the necessary adjustments ahead of the quarterfinals. In this team, we have players who are already playing in the U-18 category. I hope more players from this team will be able to join the U-18 team in the new year tournament.

FW #11 KOBAYASHI Aika (JEF United Ichihara Chiba Ladies U-15)
It was a difficult match because we faced a very different team compared to our first match. But our defence moved the ball around well and we managed to create opportunities with the crosses delivered from the flanks. We were able to add layers to our offence and showcased our style of football. In the scene where we scored the opening goal, I was able to find Yamasaki running into the open space. We will now face JFA Academy Fukushima, who we do not face in a regular basis. There are many players who couldn’t join this tour, so we will fight for those players and win the matches as we display our strong points.

OGURA Sakiko, Coach (ANGEVIOLET BINGO)
Because of the unprecedented rain, we could not prepare ahead of the tournament, as we only had two or three occasions where all the players were available. However, we kept our motto of “no excuses” to fight through, with the help of Osaka Gakugei High School and other people during the tough stretches. Heading into today’s match, we knew our opponents would have the upper hand in terms of individual quality, so we discussed how to approach the match as a team. We played a match against a high school team prior to this tournament to go over our tactics in order to cope with stronger teams, but we seemed rattled today and spent too much time getting used to their speed. There are some regrets, but we gave our all, so I am grateful for that.

DF #15 KOBIKI Mirei (ANGEVIOLET BINGO)
Our opponents had the upper hand in terms of technique, strengths, and mentality. I feel like we had to be stricter to ourselves in our daily training sessions. We had some positive moments, but once we got into a negative groove we couldn’t recover from it, which is a bad habit of ours. In order for the team to get better, I must become a better player. I want to lead the team to a higher stage, so I will work hard everyday and give everything I’ve got so that I leave no regrets behind.

Results of other matches

Nippon TV Menina Serias (Kanto1/Tokyo) 2-0(1-0, 1-0) Mashiki Renaissance Kumamoto F.C (Kyushu3/Kumamoto)
FC Imabari Hiuchi Ladies (Shikoku1/Ehime) 0-1(0-0, 0-1) Kamimura Gakuen Junior High School Women's Football Club (Kyushu1/Kagoshima)
Albirex Niigata Ladies U-15 (Hokushinetsu1/Niigata) 2-2 (1-1, 1-1, PK3-4) Hokkaido Lira Consadole (Hokkaido2)
Nagoya Football Club Luminous (Tokai5/Aichi) 0-3 (0-1, 0-2) Nojima Stella kanagawa Sagamihara Avenire (Kanto3/Kanagawa)
Urawa Red Diamonds Junior Youth (Kanto2/Saitama) 3-2 (2-1, 1-1) Tochigi Soccer Club Ladies (Kanto4/Tochigi)
Tokoha Gakuen Tachibana Junior High School Women's Soccer Club (Tokai3/Shizuoka) 0-0 (0-0, 0-1, PK2-4) Shiraoka SCL (Kanto5/Saitama)
Kumamoto United SC Flora (Kyushu2/Kumamoto) 0-1 (0-0, 0-1) JFA Academy Fukushima (Tokai1/Shizuoka)

Quarterfinals Preview

The four quarterfinal matches will be held on Wednesday 25 July. Serias will be looking for their first title in four years with their quick ball movements, where their offence has scored 14 goals in two matches during this tournament. Kamimura Gakuen will counter them with their endurance and hard work, as their captain AIKAWA Haruna shared her aspiration, “We want to showcase the Kamimura style and win the match by out running the opponents.”

Hokkaido Lira Consadole advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time after scoring a last-minute equaliser in the second half. They hope to display their persistence they’ve shown in the second round to grind out a win to make it through to the semi-finals. The focal point of the match will be on defence. If they can contain the Nojima Stella striker NEBU Momoko who has scored five goals in the previous two matches, they will have a chance of winning the match.

The second quarterfinal match of the day features the Saitama Derby where the prefectural rivals Shiraoka and Urawa squares off. Shiraoka’s Coach KOJIMA Tetsuhiro described the match up, “We face each other all the time in the prefectural matches and we’ve always said that it would be great if we can play against each other at the national stage.” With both teams knowing how they play, the match should see an intense battle until the very end.

The action in front of the goal will be spotlighted in the match between Academy Fukushima and Chiba, as the Academy side has not conceded any goals yet in the tournament. Coach Inoue Takuya stated that his team will attack aggressively and “Challenge their opponents with a nothing to lose spirit.”

JFA-TV will live-stream the two Semi-finals on Thursday 26 July, Final and Third-place match on Saturday 28 July.
*Please be aware that the internet live-stream may not be available depending on the connectivity and the browsing environment.
Internet Live-Stream (Japanese website)

The JFA 23rd U-15 Japan Women's Football Championship

Tournament Dates: Sat. 21 - Sat. 28 July 2018
Tournament Venue: J-GREEN Sakai (Sakai, Osaka)
Tournament Information